Education
Education in Thedas varies depending on race, culture, and class, and from nation to nation. Human nations Andrastian Chantry The education provided to those of the Chantry appears on par with that of nobles. Templar recruits are literate and are taught historyAs Alistair mentions in party banter with Morrigan in Dragon Age: Origins. in addition to their martial training and religious education. Members of the Chantry, by virtue of their responsibilities, are naturally literate and well-read, in the Chant of Light if nothing else. Local Chantries may also provide some instruction to their followers and allow access to their texts.As Ser Donall is doing research on the Urn of Sacred Ashes at the Lothering chantry in Dragon Age: Origins. Chantry members may also pursue scholarship. The most well-known Chantry scholar is Brother Ferdinand Genitivi, lecturer and author of numerous texts and travelogues. Other scholars search for ancient artifacts and scrolls, such as Sister Justine, curator of the Denerim chantry. Justine is also versed in decoding ciphers and encrypted text. Circle of Magi .]] The education of a mage is as extensive as that of a noble, if not more so. Beyond being taught to control their magic, a mage learns of the various schools of magic as well as languages, reading, writing, scrying, healing, etc. A mage's training consists of extensive study of arcane lore. Much like the Chantry, the Circle of Magi encourages scholarship and publishes the completed research. Examples of this are the botanical writings of Ines and the spirit research of Rhys. Through their education and scholarship, mages are considered some of the most educated members of society and as such may sometimes function as advisers in royal courts. Circles of Magi have massive libraries and are typically the greatest repositories of knowledge in a given country, though access is naturally limited. Commoners Commoners appear to receive little formal education in most countries in Thedas and many may be illiterate. City elves receive even less education than human commoners. As such, dwarven runes may be used in place of writing in some cases.Dragon Age: Asunder, p. 128 In other instances tally marks may be used to delineate locations or distances.As noted in Dragon Age: The Silent Grove Chapter 2, tally marks are used by illiterates in the Antivan Crow prison Velabanchel. However, in sharp contrast, those who work as servants in noble estates appear to receive extensive education, at least enough that is sufficient to perform their tasks.Cyrion Tabris, for example, has by necessity had some education in order to be a servant in Bann Rodolf's Denerim estate. Slaves Slaves in the Tevinter Imperium are often illiterateAs seen during The Book of Shartan quest.; However, some receive formal education and training for specific purposes such as working in libraries, accounting or scribing. Literacy is notable and reflects on a slave's price.As seen during Under Her Skin quest.Codex entry: The Long Walk to Halamshiral To make up for this lack of instruction, Tevinter slaves develop their own pictograms as a way to warn other slaves of things such as a master's temperament and other practical uses related to their society. These symbols go largely unnoticed by their owners and have a local significance, thus the same image might mean different things to different groups.Codex entry: The Secret Tongue of Slaves Fereldan nobility Among the Fereldan nobility, an education is typically provided by a learned tutor, such as Aldous in the Human Noble Origin. Noble Andrastian families may often have a Chantry Mother as a member of the household to attend to the religious education of the young. Examples of Mothers attached to noble households are Mother Mallol and Mother Ailis of the Cousland and Theirin families respectively. A major facet of noble education appears to be history, as Aldous drills both the Human Noble and young squires in the household on family history. Reading and writing are naturally part of this education. A noble education does not necessarily make one a strong scholar however, as even King Maric is by his own admission a poor reader.Dragon Age: The Calling, p. 261. Martial training is also a component of the education of nobility, as nobles are expected by their commoners to defend them and their territories. It is unusual, but not unheard of, for noble daughters to be educated in the ways of war and battle. Noble education may also include such things as dance and song, as Leliana learned in Lady Cecilie's household. Noble households may also boast libraries, as Castle Cousland does. Dwarves Dwarven education in Orzammar appears to be given to those with caste. Little is known of the nuances of dwarven education but it appears that at least part of it, amongst nobles, may be administered by members of the Shaperate.As implied by dialogue between a Dwarf Noble and Shaper Czibor in Dragon Age: Origins. Martial training appears to be a major element of dwarven education in Orzammar, with the best trainers being retained by noble households. The Shaperate is arguably the largest repository of history and knowledge. Its resources are available to anyone, in order to pursue both personalAs seen with Orta during Lost to the Memories. and professional research. Noble households may also serve as patrons for Shaperate scholars.Such as Gertek. However the Shaperate is not the only source of scholarly work in Orzammar. A mining caste dwarf named Grundrak wrote a book named 'On Combustibles and Corrosives' which discusses the use of combustiles and corrosives for best effect and contains the formalae for both the Fire Bomb and Acid Flask. This book was written in the Trade tongue as he was certain that humans needed the advice most of all.Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, p. 89 Casteless dwarves Amongst the casteless there is no formal education; indeed, most casteless dwarves appear to be functionally illiterate.Based on Sigrun's illiteracy prior to joining the Legion of the Dead. However, noble hunters are literate and highly educated in poetry and other skills in order to make them attractive to noble partners. Qunari Education amongst the Qunari is administered according to one's role in the rigid society of the Qun. Learning is a core philosophy of the Qunari way of life. In spite of it, many Qunari do not speak the common tongue of Thedas. Amongst Qunari, the tamassrans are arguably the most educated, being fluent in many languagesAs implied by Rasaan in Dragon Age: Those Who Speak. in order to educate, or re-educate, converts to the Qun. Tamassrans raise the young, administer their general education, and evaluate them for placement in society. Dalish elves Education among the Dalish appears to be in the main oral,As implied by hahrens Paivel and Sarel. who instruct through the use of lore and storytelling. The Dalish retain their history through oral tradition as well as books in some cases.As implied by the book Morrigan takes from Ariane's clan. A clan's First studies lore, magic and history in order to become a successful Keeper.According to Merrill in Dragon Age II. A Keeper is ostensibly a clan's leader and as such is viewed as wise and learned. Dalish elves hold Arlathvhens in order to reconvene with other clans and to exchange their collected lore. Known scholars Approved by the Chantry * Brother Ferdinand Genitivi * Ines Arancia * Sister Petrine * Sister Lilian Hatch * Sister Oran Petrarchius * Sister Dorcas Guerrin * First Enchanter Josephus Approved outside the Chantry * Philliam, A Bard! * Massache de Jean-Mien * Lady Alcyone * Baron Havard-Pierre D'Amortisan * Ferdinand Pentaghast Disapproved by the Chantry * (Formerly) Sister Laudine Notable repositories * The Shaperate of Orzammar * The library of Kinloch Hold * Archive of the Crows in Antiva City * The Grand Library of The Winter Palace, Orlais * Vir Dirthara, the Shattered Library, accessible from The Crossroads * The library of Weisshaupt Fortress in the AnderfelsDragon Age: Last Flight, p. 214 Known universities * University of OrlaisDragon Age: The Masked Empire, Chapter 1 * University of Markham * University of Ferelden (If Anora is the sole ruler)Epilogue (Origins). Trivia * Zevran Arainai and other assassins of the Antivan Crows are notably literate,As assassination contracts must be read per Master Ignacio. and the Crows maintain their own scholarship in their archive. * Fenris is illiterate as a consequence of his enslavement.As seen during The Book of Shartan quest. * Elan Ve'mal mentions there being a specific college for herbalists. References Category:Lore